Alecko Eskandarian

Alecko Eskandarian ( born July 9, 1982 in Montvale, New Jersey ) is a former American football player. The striker played for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer.

He is currently an assistant coach with the New York Cosmos.

Playing career

Youth and College

Eskandarian attended Bergen Catholic High School in Oradell, New Jersey. 2000 he received the Gatorade National High School Athlete of the Year Award, for his performances in the school team in high school. In his last year he scored 66 goals in 25 games. For this he was awarded the NSCAA / adidas All-American and New Jersey State Player of the Year. When he finished school he had scored a total of 154 gates, that the most in Bergen County and the second-highest in New Jersey.

From 2000 to 2002 he attended the University of Virginia and played for the Virginia Cavaliers in whose team College -Soccer. 2002 he received the Hermann Trophy. While his time at the College he was one of the best players in the Cavaliers. Overall, he scored in three years 50 goals in 60 games and was awarded with several honors.

In 2010 he returned to the University of Virginia back, graduated and took a job as an assistant coach with the Cavaliers.

Professional

In MLS SuperDraft 2003 he was a first overall pick in the first round of DC United drafted. During his first season he scored three goals in 23 games. 2004 Piotr Nowak coach of the team and Eskandarian was taking a more active role in the team. In the regular season he scored 10 goals and was instrumental with his four goals in the play- offs by winning the MLS Cup in 2004. After he scored two goals in the final game, he was named Most Valuable Player of the game. Because of his performance, he was appointed team in the MLS All -Star and posted in the All - Star game East against West, a goal for the Eastern Conference All-Stars.

The 2005 season was ended early Eskandarian. He suffered a traumatic brain injury and could not deny most of the games of the season. In 2006 he returned zurücj and scored in his first league game a goal. This was followed by a further six goals and Eskandarian was re-appointed for the All - Star game the MLS. In this game against Real Madarid scored the equalizer at 1-1.

On 22 December 2006 he was sold to Toronto FC. For the Canadians, he remained but only until May 2007. Toronto traded it on 22 May 2007 against Jeff Cunningham of Real Salt Lake. In Salt Lake City, he stayed the rest of the season. Overall, he was in the 2007 season on the court 23 times and scored seven goals.

As part of the MLS SuperDraft 2008 he moved for a transfer fee for CD Chivas USA. Due to an injury he fell from the first half of the season, but could at the end of season five goals to achieve in eight games.

On 1 July 2009 he moved again, this time to local rivals Chivas Los Angeles Galaxy. In his debut on July 4 for Galaxy he also scored his first goal for his new employers. On July 19, during a friendly match against AC Milan, Eskandarian injured. A ball hit him right in the face and he pulled a broken nose and a skull -brain trauma. Due to this injury he had to pause to March 2010 and then did not return as a player.

After working for a year as an assistant coach at his former college team Virginia Cavaliers, it was June 15, 2011 Technical Director in the youth field at Philadelphia Union. In February 2013 the New York Cosmos announced to have Eskandarian as their new assistant coach.

National

Alecko Eskandarian completed a game for the U.S. national team. On 27 May 2003, he ran for the United States in the game against Wales.

He was also part of the U -17, U -20 and U -23 national team of the United States. During the qualifying tournament for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, he scored four goals.

Trivia

• Eskandarian is of Armenian descent. His father is the former Iranian national player Andranik Eskandarian, who played from 1979 to 1990 in the U.S. actively football.
• He starred in an episode of the reality television series Keeping Up with the Kardashians with. During this episode he had a blind date with Kardashian.